AMERICAN EX

An expatriate view of 'Homeland' America By Thomas McCay

Friday, September 09, 2005

GOD SMITES THE BIBLE BELT

If you, like many right wing christos, believe that 'god' is punishing sinful New Orleans, there are other factors to consider. The hurricane and the massive flooding, was not limited to New Orleans. It took a great big bite out of the Southern bible belt as well.

In the last few years, god has taken big swipes at the very liver of right wing born againism, with hurricane after hurricane. Florida is, after all, one of god's favorite targets for his wrath, and a hot bed of Christian fundamentalism, as well. Several of the big christo money siphoning organizations, such as the many profitable enterprises of Pat Roberson, are head quartered in Florida. Florida is a noted breeding ground for the mega-church, and god flings his wrath at it, several times a year.

Regarding the sinners of New Orleans; it seems to me that most of them got out of the city. Leaving the people with the least control, regarding the character of the city, to feel god's rage. To take the rap for the club owners, the partying tourists, the big pimps, and the uptown business guys with money to spend on their sins. Most of them got away. Leaving the shoe shine boys, the street performers, and the cooks and the maids and toilet cleaners, the old, the sick, the poor, to pay the price. The majority of whom are Christian.

God is a strange dude. Perhaps a bit dyslexic.

Of course, there is the possibility that god had nothing to do with it and that any moral lessons to be drawn, must be determined not by our opinion of the people effected, but by our response to the people who have been hit so hard, by a natural force.

A force that appears predictably, every year, as the Atlantic ocean heats up. To my mind, the only unnatural aspect of this hurricane, is that global warming is increasing both the frequency and intensity of these storms. It should give us cause to pause and rethink our rejection of the Kyoto agreement. But no, we'll just continue to call it the will of god. Like I said, god is a strange dude, in the minds and mouths of believers.

But, If you must try to bring the will and intentions of god, the voice of god, into the meaning of these events, I can't help but notice that god smites the Southern bible thumpers, with alarming regularity.

Is there a message in this, believers? You tell me.

In my last post, I mentioned that a Pat Robertson organization, Operation Blessing, is near the top of the list of charity organizations, endorsed by the government to receive donations of flood relief money, from private donors.

That is to say that your government is telling you this is a 'trusted' organization. Not so, gentle reader.

Moneys from charitable organizations started by Robertson, have been channeled into private businesses and used as leverage for Robertson's gold and diamond mining interests in Africa. Blood diamonds yet. It seems that Pat Robertson is personal friends with some of the most brutal dictators in Africa.

Oh, but he's a godly man. 'Cause, like I said, god is a very strange dude.

I mean, what do you call a person who throws a grenade into a crowded bar, to get one guy? A coward and a terrorist.

What do you call a god that blows away an entire region and a whole city, to get a few thousands 'sinners', who have mostly fled the area? Clumsy? Stupid? Blind? Psychopathic? Republican?

What do you call a man who creates such a god? You tell me.

Pat Robertson: 'I don't have to be nice to the spirit of the Antichrist'is a well researched article by Greg Palast, of the London Observer. You might want to read this, especially if you are considering sending your money to Robertson's Operation Blessing. If you really want to bless this hyper wealthy man, with more capital to use as leverage in his many questionable business dealings, go ahead. I'm sure Robertson's god will bless you. Like I keep saying, god is a strange dude. In the minds and moths of believers.

Here is a genuinelyscary link. A story/article about a FEMA relocation/concentration camp for New Orleans evacuees. A group of Churches in Oklahoma share own a large camp ground with barracks style 'cabins'. The cabins belong to different Churches and were donated by the churches, to be used by the people coming from New Orleans.

The story is about a family outing, to carry supplies to the camp for the evacuees. These people, this Christian family on a charity mission, saw the grim face of FEMA and the reality of how the cabins were to be used. The article is replete with photo's taken by the writer's daughter.

The cabins have large functioning kitchens, but the inmates, I mean evacuees, will not be allowed to use them. Two meals a day will be delivered. No outside food will be allowed in. The evacuees are not allowed to leave the camp, at all. They will be there at least five months.

Local churches may not bus inmates, I mean evacuees, to local churches for Sunday services, the list of FEMA rules goes on and on. The good people that donated those cabins had no idea that their charitable offer would be turned into an actual interment camp with a large detachment of military guards.

The link will be at the bottom of this article again. You really want to check this out, I find it very strange and very disturbing. They went into this agreement, believing they were offering hope and charity to these people, not providing a FEMA prison for flood victims.

We should watch what happens to the evacuees with great care. The heavily armed mercenaries that are being sent into New Orleans, to 'relieve the military' are notorious for murders and abuses in Iraq. Reporters are being forced out as the mercenaries are being shipped in.

These paramilitary security outfits are noted for their lack of training and lack of discipline. They are hated by the regular forces in Iraq because their actions against civilians have caused numerous reprisals. They are also almost exclusively white, from Arkansas and West Virginia where unemployment is very high.

These are not police, these are not soldiers, they are a large gang of red neck yokels with guns and uniforms. The reporters have been removed from New Orleans. FEMA is adamant that there would be no photographs of this important historical event.

I don't think they are just hiding the bodies of the flood victims, as part of covering up the actual death toll. I think they are expecting the new death toll to rise and they don't want witnesses. That is the new American reality. Government that operates in complete secrecy, with no accountability.

Remember that great big no bid, sweet heart contract given to Haliburton, before almost anything was done on the ground? Guess who is supplying the mercenaries? Yep, Haliburton. Their 'advanced construction team', I suppose.

Watch this closely because this is what is in store for America. You think it won't happen? You didn't think it it would go this far either, did you?

Sunday, September 04, 2005

Now Is the Time for Your Anger

Scott McClellan, the White House press secretary, as usual, is refusing to answer the obvious questions coming out of this government created disaster in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. No real surprise there, that's what Scotty is best at. Talking a lot without actually saying anything.

Now, of course, when asked direct questions regarding the human side of this calamity, the obvious questions regarding the predictability of the disaster and the lack of response, Scotty says, "Now is not the time to be pointing fingers."

We all know, or anyone paying attention knows, that Scott is just an A class professional prevaricator and bull shit master. Top of his profession actually.

But I must insist that now is exactly the time to be pointing directly at the very obvious problem that this entire nation is suffering from. That is the absolute absence of responsible, competent, accountable leadership.

For those marveling at the bungling, disorganized, unmotivated leadership and effort the federal government has shown in this American crisis, I invite you to consider: This is exactly what is happening in Iraq, to our troops, and to the country and its people.

Heavily armed, bungling, incompetence managed by the same people who have been 'managing' this hitherto sleepwalking relief effort. There are damned good reasons why things are going so badly over there. Just as there are real reasons why things are going so badly, at home in America.

Now is most certainly the time to point fingers, while the reality of this criminal lack of responsibility is still on the ground, while the reality of the human consequences are still in our faces.

This is emphatically not the time for these useless rich punks to play politics and pretend they are being picked on by the 'liberal' media. But, let's face it, that is all these people know how to do. They lie and spin the truth to justify and obscure the reality of their odious motivations.

This cabal of neo-cons and religious conspirators, is composed of people who have never had real down and dirty jobs in their lives. They have never actually done anything except play politics and make money. It's like a big Monopoly game to them and the people are, at best, just chits, chips, ciphers.We are not real to them.

I have said before that when the real cost of this war starts coming home, the support would not last that there would be a turning. Now, we are all face to face with the real cost of having handed over so much power to one dogmatic individual.

In handing so much power to this puppet president, we have in effect, given our country into the hands of a small group of rich, powerful little men, who see the real world and it's billions of people, like a particularly engaging game of Risk.

America is just another big counter piece in their game. And you, no matter what your political identity, do not count at all in this game.

Friday, September 02, 2005

DAMN THEM ALL

I know that most of you are very aware of what is going on, or not really going on, in New Orleans and the gulf states. I won't recite the details. A few verbal pictures will suffice.

An Arkansas man, an airboat operator, brought his rig down to New Orleans, to volunteer to ferry people out of the city with his swamp boat, capable of operating in very shallow water. FEMA said they would let the man do it but that he would have to purchase his own gas. Airboats, propelled by an airplane engine, can burn a hundred dollars an hour, or more, in aviation fuel. So the man had to pull his boat back to Arkansas.

Seriously ill medical evacuees stranded on the roof of a hospital, one with a helicopter pad. Stranded for a day, so far. No helicopters to lift them off the roof. The two local airports are flooded but one has to wonder, where are the National Guard helicopters? Where are their many high water vehicles and the people to operate them? That has always been the job of the National Guard, to respond in force, to just such a disaster.

Like the money that wasn't used, on urgently needed repairs and upgrades to the flood control system in New Orleans, half of the Louisiana Guards men, and virtually all of their equipment, is being squandered in Iraq.

The director of FEMA, learned that thousands of people were stranded at the city convention center. He learned it while being interviewed at a television station. He was totally surprised to learn of it, yet it was one of the places people were told to go to, were supposed to go to, in case of such an emergency.

But, of course, the head of FEMA is a Bush political appointee with no experience in disaster management. Just lots of experience with playing political favors.

Every American, watching the fatal magnitude of the detachment of Bush and his administration and their bumbling incompetent response to this terrible, predictable, event, should understand that this is what America has become. Do not believe that the government is going to be more responsive to your needs, your survival, when disaster, natural or otherwise, visits your neighbourhood.

Please do not hesitate to write and or call your representatives and senators, let them know this will not be forgiven or forgotten. Let them know that this gigantic betrayal of public trust is just that, a betrayal of the highest magnitude.

A point of information for those wishing to donate funds to help with the relief efforts. Any money sent to FEMA or any government agency, is being sent to a list of ten organizations. Number one on the list, as you might expect, is the American Red Cross, number two on that list, number two, is a Christian organization owned, operated, and presided over, by none other than Pat Robertson. Pat 'It's valuable to have a friend at the White House' Robertson.

Update, Operation Blessing, is the name of Robertson's organization, it has been moved to number three on the list. It is one of the organizations that is wanting money only, no volunteers. Fits, eh?

I think it would be a much better idea to send money directly to the organization you most trust rather than any fund that is going to be doling out money to organizations operated by slimy evangelists and politically favored con men. New Orleans doesn't need bibles.

Mean while, the government is refusing to allow international aid and rescue organizations into the US to help. Hell, the UN would have figured out how to air drop supplies from Europe by now. But America the mighty, is without leadership and it's bumbling, overstuffed bureaucracy, headed by know nothing political appointees is paralyzed .

I am full of anger and sorrow. My imagination blurred with the images of all those people, in all that chaos, many dying by the hour.

The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told the media that those poor, sick, old people, black babies, and mothers and children, anyone who could not get out of the city, have themselves to blame.

We, as a country, must not forgive, and dare not forget what this little cabal of political freaks and rich thieves have done to America . With their lies, their greed, and their genuine distain for ordinary Americans.

Truly, George Bush is a very little man and a very little president. I weep for America.

Link to a journal with first person reports from New Orleans, including a cell phone conversation with a man stranded, with thousands of others, in the city's convention center.LINK HERE

The Mayor of New Orleanspleading with the president and federal government to save the people of his city. This is heart breaking but you should listen.Be patient, it takes a minute or so to load, worth the wait if you want a first hand feel for just how bad it is.

You can also hear this interview at Air America, under the Mayor's picture on the left side of the page. Click Here

About Me

Raised from age three in small town and semi rural areas of Alabama, I am something of a converted redneck. A 'leftneck' as a Virginia friend calls himself. Being a product of one of the lowest appendages of American culture and sink holes of the economy, I represented class A cannon fodder during the Vietnam war.
I ended my Air Force enlistment, without permission, in 1969. I have lived in Canada since 1970.
The horrible din made by the destruction of American democracy, inspires and prods me to write about what I see from my expatriate view of America.